Can Singapore go big on agriculture? What is needed to encourage high-tech farming here?

SINGAPORE is naturally constrained by its scarcity of land so the key would be to develop new innovative and high-tech farming technologies to make farming feasible, productive and profitable. Vertical farming, for example, is clearly the way to go.

Government incentives, grants and perhaps tax breaks are necessary to incentivise farmers to invest in R&D in high-tech technologies – and develop a skilled agricultural workforce – in order for Singapore to really go big on agriculture and ensure a stable, secure and sustainable food supply for the population in the face of intensifying climate change and to buffer against price volatility.

Like our leading-edge expertise in the area of water treatment, if we can pioneer high-level farming technology, Singapore could export its knowhow to other land-scarce cities and countries.